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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. saw — the tool
  3. kid — to tease
  4. rest — what's left
  5. kid — child
  6. track — a song
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. saw — the tool
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. kick — in football
  13. rest — what's left
  14. track — a path
  15. roll — a list
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. bat — the animal
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. track — to keep track
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. rest — a break
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. roll — a cake

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com